These days people are either talking about the new phones or the sudden gush of cars in the Indian market. Recently a friend of mine booked a Mahindra Scorpio, but was lucky enough because the delivery got delayed. He grabbed the opportunity to cancel the booking and booked the latest XUV, which got delivered last week only as he was amongst the first ten people to book in Delhi. So last week was action packed, on last Friday we celebrated his birthday at his place and decided that next day in the morning we are pushing the pedal on the XUV 500 W6.
For a change we were up early on a Saturday morning, all excited about Golu’s new toy. So all set, I take to the wheels and we hit the road. While I drive the proud owner is taking me through the new touch control panel, no it’s not an iphone or an android. It’s the touch screen display on the dashboard through which you can control the music, gps..and various other functions. The control panel looks quite cool with jog dial to support the touch screen. I must say this car definitely gives you the thrill of a luxury SUV with the kind of interesting controls and the plush leather seats it sports.
This monster of a machine is powered by a 2200cc engine and can deliver power up to 140bhp. The robust muscular design is a manifestation inspired from a Cheetah- built for speed and agility. And we are driving the best colour available according to me in the options available, Purple.
But the excitement starts when we are just a kilometer away and the car just stops, first I think I must have pressed a wrong button somewhere, like how the computer hangs when you try to fiddle too much with the keys or mouse. The controls and various buttons in this car re-kindle the child in you and if you are not careful you may clip the wrong wire.
But to my relief it was the fuel not me! After all ‘chetah bhi peeta hai’ so we called our savior Vipin. After the XUV gulped down 5ltr of the energy drink we set out in the wee hours of office traffic. By now it was 8am so we moved on slowly looking down on the people in their small cabins sipping coffee, talking on the Bluetooth, munching sandwiches or shifting gears with aggression of a Schumacher. It was only at the empty stretch of Aruna asaf ali marg, between Qutub institutional area and Vasant kunj. For the first time I was able to push the gear to 5th and touch 130 km/hr and there was room for more but as usual an auto was riding in the middle of the road and few cyclists forced me to test the brakes.
What a delight this car is at a high speed, with the option of cruise control the XUV moves fearlessly hugging the road. With this kind of control and the comfort of the stylishly designed bucket seats, you just feel that you shouldn’t be heading home but hit a highway for a long drive. In city traffic driving at lower gears too doesn’t throw you off despite the XUV being a diesel vehicle with the way it responds to the throttle and the gear shifts. Overall it is a brilliant SUV at a great price, which I feel will go up in 2012 with the overwhelming response Mahindra has received. This Indian manufactured car makes me proud. But still I will wait to save some more moolah to buy one ;-)
